Concerns over wood species misrepresentation in Ghana's domestic timber retail market are growing, posing risks to the integrity of sustainable and legal timber trade and weakening forest governance. Despite this, there is limited empirical documentation on the nature, extent, and drivers of misrepresentation, as well as interventions to address it within domestic forest product supply chains. This study draws on ninety-five interviews with stakeholders, including representatives from the Ghanaian Forestry Commission's Timber Industry Development Division, wood dealers, wood users, non-governmental organizations, and civil society organizations. In addition, relevant domestic timber trade policies were analysed to assess their provisions on misrepresentation. The findings indicate that wood misrepresentation is widely perceived to occur in the domestic market, with species such as Dahoma and Odum frequently cited. Key drivers include limited wood identification knowledge among buyers and sellers, scarcity of preferred timber species, profit motivations, and regulatory gaps. Weak enforcement mechanisms, unclear penalties, and the absence of formalized contractual arrangements were also identified as contributing factors. The study highlights the need to strengthen domestic timber governance through clearer legal definitions, improved enforcement, and targeted capacity-building in wood identification. While emerging technologies, including mobile-based wood identification tools, offer promising support, their effectiveness depends on complementary investments in training and institutional frameworks. Overall, addressing wood misrepresentation requires an integrated approach that combines policy reform, capacity development, and accessible identification technologies.
Boadu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.